Julie Hesmondhalgh

Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh is an English actress and narrator who is best known for her role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street between 1998 and 2014. For this role she won "Best Serial Drama Performance" at the 2014 National Television Awards and "Best Actress" at the 2014 British Soap Awards.

Hesmondhalgh's other regular television roles include Cucumber (2015), Happy Valley (2016), Broadchurch (2017) and The Pact (2021). Her stage credits include God Bless the Child at the Royal Court Theatre in London (2014), and Wit at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (2016). For her performance as Joan in the James Graham play Punch (2025), she won the 2026 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Early life and education Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh was born in Accrington, Lancashire on 25 February 1970. She studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating winning the Lally Bowers Award for Best Comedy Actress. Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place,

She is most known for playing Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. On 11 January 2013, ITV announced that Hesmondhalgh would be leaving Coronation Street in January 2014 after 15 years on the show, and that her character Hayley was to leave in a controversial right-to-die storyline, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Hesmondhalgh won a National Television Award for Best Performance in a Serial Drama, which she shared with her longtime co-star, David Neilson. She appeared in the BBC Four film Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster, a television film about the murder of Sophie Lancaster. She played the role of Sophie's mother, Sylvia Lancaster, a role which she previously portrayed on stage. Hesmondhalgh was friends with Sylvia Lancaster is a former patron of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. In 2015, Hesmondhalgh won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Female Actor in a Drama for her role as Sylvia.

In 2017, Hesmondhalgh played the role of rape victim Trish in the third and final series of Broadchurch on ITV. Her performance as Trish earned her a nomination for BAFTA award for best supporting actress (TV).

She appeared as a guest star in the Doctor Who episode "Kerblam!".

In 2019, she starred alongside Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, when she played Amanda in the first episode of the final season of Channel 4's Catastrophe. Also in 2020, Hesmondhalgh played Heather in the third series of The A Word.

In 2021, Hesmondhalgh began narrating the revival of The Weakest Link, taking over from Jon Briggs.

In January 2024, she starred as Suzanne Sercombe, wife of subpostmaster Alan Bates, the main character in the ITV1 drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which was based on true events surrounding the British Post Office scandal.

Hesmondhalgh is set to appear on the second series of The Celebrity Traitors in autumn 2026.

Stage From 19 to 29 September 2012, Hesmondhalgh appeared at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, portraying Sylvia Lancaster in Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster opposite Rachel Austin.

In February 2018, she starred as Renee in The Almighty Sometimes by Kendall Feaver. It was directed by Katy Rudd at the Royal Exchange.

In February 2019, she performed the title role in Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, adapted by Anna Jordan. It was directed by Amy Hodge at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

For her performance as Joan in the James Graham play Punch (2025), she won the 2026 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Writing and other activities In 2019 Methuen Drama published her Working Diary as part of their Theatre Makers series.

She is a founder member of a Manchester-based grassroots theatre collective creating work about social issues, Take Back, which she runs with Rebekah Harrison and Grant Archer, and to which she has contributed as a writer and actor. In August 2015, she endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election. She tweeted: "Proudly supporting Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership contest." She campaigned for Corbyn as party leader in the 2017 UK general election.

On 1 May 2013, Hesmondhalgh appeared on ITV game show All Star Mr & Mrs

Hesmondhalgh was awarded the Freedom of Hyndburn in 2015. She was also made an honorary life member of Bolton Socialist Club for her "outstanding contribution to socialism in 2015.

Hesmondhalgh is a patron of Trans Media Watch. In 2019, she set up the fundraising community group 500 Acts of Kindness. In 2025, she was granted honorary lifetime membership to Equity following her efforts to save Oldham Coliseum from being demolished.

Filmography

Awards and nominations + Year Ceremony Award Nominated work Result Ref. LAMDA Lally Bowers Award (Best Comedy Actress) 1999 National Television Awards Most Popular Actress Coronation Streetas Hayley Cropper Inside Soap Awards Best Actress 2014 National Television Awards Best Serial Drama Performance Best On-Screen Partnership(shared with David Neilson) TV Choice Awards Best Soap Actress 2015 Royal Television Society Best Female Actor in a Drama Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster 2018 British Academy Television Awards Best Supporting ActressBroadchurch 2022 Audio Production Awards Best Narrator Harper Collins 2025 National Film Awards Best Actress in a TV Series The Post Office 2026Laurence Olivier AwardsBest Actress in a Supporting RolePunch